Tourism brought nearly €14 billion to Lisbon in 2017, approximately 20% of the region’s total wealth. The sector is responsible for 182,000 jobs, as estimated in a report from Deloitte and the Lisbon Tourism Association.

Last year, fewer British holidaymakers chose Portugal as a tourist destination, less 111,667 than in 2017. Despite the drop, the overall number of foreign tourists grew by 0.4% last year, enough to reach a new record high at 12.76 million. This increase was mostly due to a 20% jump in American tourism, accounting for an additional 135,000 US visitors in 2018.

Portugal received 128,000 fewer foreign visitors this summer than in the same period last year, a drop largely due to fewer holidaymakers from the United Kingdom. Between June and September, 5.5 million travellers came to Portugal, down 2.2% when compared to the same period in 2017. However, revenues rose to 1.7 billion euros during the period, up 4.4%.

The growth of Airbnb in Lisbon can be seen through the tourist taxes delivered to the City Council. In 2017, the total value of this levy charged in Lisbon in local lodging accommodations available on Airbnb came to €3.8 million. The number of guests staying in the Airbnb platform jumped from 1.6 million to 2.6 million last year.